JERUSALEM \u2014 As Israel participates in a multi-front war with Iran and Hezbollah, the country\u2019s Ministry of Defense said it is focused on keeping munitions stocked to sustain operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last week, Israeli MoD Director General Amir Baram visited three local defense giants \u2014 Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) \u2014 emphasizing that replenishing<\/a> various types of munitions is a central priority for the country.<\/p>\n The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it has thus far carried out 7,600 strikes in Iran using 4,700 sorties by Israel\u2019s air force, while also carrying out strikes in Lebanon and mobilizing troops to the northern front. Defensively, Israeli air defense systems have had to contend with daily ballistic missile attacks by Iran and increased<\/a> rocket fire by Hezbollah.\u00a0<\/p>\n To sustain those operations, Israel\u2019s defense industrial base must accelerate production.<\/p>\n \u201cMonths of preparation and early readiness have enabled the IDF to operate with virtually no constraints in Iran and Lebanon,\u201d Baram said during his visit to Elbit<\/a> on March 9. \u201cAt the same time, we are now working to replenish all munitions expended in order to be prepared for any scenario. The decisions we made to expand and accelerate production lines in Israel before the operation will now allow us to take production rates to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael has a unique ecosystem that no other country can match,\u201d Baram added. \u201cThere is a distinctive integration between the IDF, the Defense Ministry, and the defense industries that enables rapid translation of operational needs and battlefield lessons into real-time modifications.\u201d<\/p>\n Elbit did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, at his visit to Rafael on March 12, Baram explained that the \u201chistoric achievements\u201d in Iran belong in part to the defense industry. Decades of research, development, and testing have provided the State of Israel with groundbreaking capabilities unmatched by any other nation,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement to Breaking Defense, Rafael confirmed that it has shifted into a continuous wartime support mode to make sure munitions stay stocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRafael is engaged in continuous and intensive activity in support of the operational efforts of Operation \u2018Roaring Lion.\u2019 At this time, we are focused on providing the operational response required by the IDF and the defense establishment,\u201d the company said, using the IDF\u2019s name for its Iran operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Neither the ministry, Elbit nor Rafael specified the particular munitions needing to be replenished, though it could mean artillery shells, such as those that would be used in any expanded fighting on the ground in Lebanon.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to munitions, Israel\u2019s investment in space systems like satellites and imagining \u2014 which Baram described as \u201csuperpower\u201d capabilities \u2014 has played an integral role in Israel\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n At Israel Aerospace Industries on March 5, Baram \u201cvisited an operational ground station serving a number of the defense establishment\u2019s satellites, reviewed real-time operational satellite imagery from the fighting in Iran, and discussed the latest developments in the space domain and their direct contribution to IDF strikes in the current campaign,\u201d according to the MoD.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSpace is a first-order strategic national priority. We will continue to advance the buildup of space power by every means possible,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n IAI did not respond to a request for comment by press time.<\/p>\n Supplies In Wartime\u00a0<\/p>\n To keep Israel\u2019s industrial base on track, it\u2019s imperative that supplies continue to flow in, especially during wartime.\u00a0<\/p>\n During a visit to the country\u2019s Ashdod Port on March 10, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> said, \u201cThe State of Israel is showing the world what a fighting nation, a fighting state, and a super-resilient economy look like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Prime Minister\u2019s Office noted that during a tour of the port, Netanyahu conducted an \u201cassessment regarding the continuity of Israel\u2019s maritime trade in the midst of Operation Roaring Lion.\u201d<\/p>\n The assessment by the prime minister included an examination of \u201cport operations, the unloading of goods and supplies for the Israeli economy, and the existing inventory reserves that ensure economic stability,\u201d his office noted<\/a>. In 2023, the Ashdod port was estimated<\/a> to handle around forty percent of Israel\u2019s maritime trade. Almost all of Israel\u2019s imports and exports, by weight and volume, arrive<\/a> by sea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n